Westfield uses big second half to top Montgomery

Jim Mashek

Published 4:25 pm, Monday, September 28, 2015

Photo: Jason Fochtman

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Montgomery running back Alex Nunn is swallowed up by the Westfield defense during the second half of a high school football game Thursday. To view or purchase this photo and others like it, visit HCNpics.com.

Montgomery running back Alex Nunn is swallowed up by the Westfield defense during the second half of a high school football game Thursday. To view or purchase this photo and others like it, visit HCNpics.com.

Photo: Jason Fochtman

Westfield uses big second half to top Montgomery

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SPRING — The ESPN trucks arrived well before Montgomery and Spring Westfield squared off in a District 15-6A football opener on Thursday night at Leonard George Stadium.

But it was Montgomery that stole the spotlight in the early going, leading for most of the first half, thanks to a quick, aggressive defense and a halfback pass that went for a touchdown.

Then Westfield kicked it into another gear.

The Mustangs used the inside ground game of Kenneth Rose and a relentless defense to turn back Montgomery 39-13.

Montgomery fell to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in District 15-6A play, while the unbeaten Mustangs (4-0, 1-0) put on a display of power football seldom seen at the high school level. Westfield will return to Leonard George Stadium next week to face the Spring Lions, while Montgomery will return to Bear Stadium to resume its 15-6A schedule against the Klein Bearkats.

“I felt like, the first quarter, we really got after it,” Montgomery coach John Bolfing said. “The effort was great. We had opportunities to score more points ... We just didn’t capitalize on our opportunities.”

Montgomery lineman John Sweeten had a sack on the Mustangs’ first offensive series, forcing a three-and-out, and the Bears used a trick formation to convert a fourth-and-11 play. Scott McKenzie, the Bears’ quarterback, found tight end Jeffrey Hunter over the middle for a 15-yard completion.

Montgomery had to settle for Luke Coleman’s field-goal attempt, and after a high snap, the 32-yard try was partially blocked, resulting in a touchback.

The Bears’ Jake Loera then intercepted a pass by Westfield quarterback Dillon Sterling-Cole, and Loera’s 12-yard return set up another red-zone opportunity for Montgomery. This time, Coleman’s 31-yard field goal split the uprights and the Bears led 3-0 with 5:56 left in the first quarter.

Montgomery’s Tucker Neisner recovered a fumble by the Mustangs’ Jacob Gallatin on the next Westfield series, and the Bears again went into their bag of tricks to grab a 10-0 lead.

Anthony Thomas, Montgomery’s do-it-all defensive back/receiver/kick returner, took an overhand lateral from McKenzie and quickly squared his feet to loft a 38-yard touchdown pass with 4:40 left in the first quarter. Coleman’s extra point put the Bears in front 10-0, and the Westfield sideline became visibly agitated.

“The first quarter, it was part them, but mostly us,” Westfield coach Matt Meekins said. “We had guys open in the passing game, but we weren’t getting the ball to them ... We settled down a little bit (in the second quarter), and throughout the whole game, (Montgomery’s) defensive backs made some big plays. They’re tough in the secondary.”

Montgomery’s defense all but rendered Mustangs receiver Tyrie Cleveland obsolete. Cleveland, one of several top-flight college prospects on the Westfield roster, had three receptions for 46 yards and a third-quarter touchdown.

“Defensively, we played really well in the first half,” Bolfing said. “They’re good, they’re very talented. We gave them everything they wanted in the first half. We just couldn’t handle them in the second half.”

Jacob Gallatin got the Mustangs on the board with a 25-yard touchdown run with 2:10 left in the first quarter, and Gavin Do’s 41-yard field goal with 6:02 left in the first half trimmed Montgomery’s lead to 10-9.

After Clay Alexander’s 39-yard run led to the final Montgomery points of the night, a 22-yard field goal from Coleman, the Mustangs took a 13-9 halftime lead on Dillon Sterling-Cole’s 26-yard scoring pass to Jaylon Garrett with 38 seconds left in the second quarter.

In the opening moments of the third quarter, Westfield’s Rose split the Montgomery defense with a 45-yard touchdown run, putting the Mustangs in front 23-13. After a McKenzie pass was batted at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by the Mustangs, Sterling-Cole hit Cleveland for a 23-yard touchdown pass.

Do added a 30-yard field goal in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, and Daniel Young’s 40-yard touchdown run closed the scoring for the Mustangs with 7:18 left in the game.

Jordan Hood finished the game as the Bears’ quarterback, and four Montgomery players who have sustained knee injuries this season listened to Bolfing address the team during a brief postgame meeting at midfield.

“We had missed opportunities, but I’ve got to play better,” McKenzie said. “We came out to win this game. Their defense came out with a lot of intensity in the second half. They’re a good team.”